Turning Back Time
by TheEveningStar
Summary: [Post HBP]Harry, Ron, and Hermione have prepared themselves for the tough road ahead, but are they really ready? Someone decides they aren’t & sends them to a time where they can learn. MWPP & the Trio. Rating may go up later.
1. Welcome to the past

**Summary: Harry, Ron, and Hermione have prepared themselves for the tough road ahead. They have set their minds and hearts to the task ahead – but are they really ready? What happens when the mysterious R.A.B. decides they aren't – and sends them to prepare for the trials ahead, without their consent? A little time travel madness ensues! MWPP and the Trio.**

**Disclaimer: Obviously all the wonderful characters and names belong to the illustrious J.K. Rowling. I could only hope to be half the author she is, but here's my humble work of fan fiction anyway.**

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were on the move again. It had been two months since Dumbledore's death. Since then, Harry had come of age, he and Ron had passed their apparition test and they had all had one final glimpse of normality at Bill and Fleur's Wedding, before hitting the road the next day.

They had been searching for Voldemort's horcruxes since leaving school, not wanting to lose a moment. They had a lead on Hufflepuff's Cup and had been following a trail of supposition and guesswork for a month. Finally, in Romania, they found it. There were in the mountains, very near the dragon reserve where Charlie worked. After fighting off several vampires (who had been trailing them across the country on Voldemort's orders) and getting past many complex spells (thanks to Hermione), they had the cup in hand. Harry had immediately destroyed the horcrux, not wanting to take any chances of losing this piece of Voldemort's soul. Harry and Hermione were both weakened from the effort, and were counting on Ron to help them get out of the mountains safely. Just as they reached a switchback, a dark hooded figure stepped into the path.

"Well, well, well – and here I thought I was the only one after the Dark Lord's horcruxes. I see you have already destroyed the one in Hufflepuff's cup. No matter – the sooner this is done the better I suppose."

"Who are you?" demanded Harry, wand out and ready to fight.

"Think of me as a friend. I too despise the Dark Lord, and seek to destroy him for what he has done."

"Are you – R.A.B?" asked Hermione tentatively.

The man in the shadows chuckled. "Indeed I am, although I generally prefer to go by my name, not my initials. And you are Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley."

"How do you know who we are?" Harry asked, sounding braver than he felt.

"I have been watching you for some time Harry Potter. I have something for you." The man tossed an object in the air, which glinted in the wand light, and Harry caught it easily. Harry looked down. _I'll be damned._

"As you can see I have recovered Slytherin's locket, and with a bit of cunning destroyed the snake as well…."

"Why are you doing this?" Ron asked the man who refused to step into the light.

"I have my reasons. Suffice it to say they are as genuine and meaningful as your own. I, however, do not consider Dark Magic beneath me to accomplish the task at hand."

"We don't need your help," said Harry defiantly.

"No, I don't expect you do," replied the man calmly. "I realize now you will be the one to ultimately bring down the Dark Lord, as it should be. But I don't know if you are ready. Are you?"

"When the time comes, I will be," stated Harry coldly.

"Yes. I think _time_ is exactly what you need. I think a year should suffice. When the time is right, you will return to where you need to be –"

The cloaked figure aimed his wand at them.

"What are you doing?" yelled Ron.

"Give my regards to the old man, Harry Potter." The man took one step into the light, and they could see his face: the shining grey eyes, high cheekbones, and dark, dark hair that reminded Harry so much of Sir –

"_Averto Aetas!_"

And with a flash of bright orange light, Harry, Ron and Hermione were gone.

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"Welcome, welcome to another year at Hogwarts…."

Four mischievous Gryffindors were huddled together, talking under their breaths.

"Dumbledore gives nearly the same speech every year," whined a short, chubby boy with watery eyes.

"Yeah, I sure am going to miss it," replied his charming but pale skinned, amber-eyed comrade.

"So gents, what's our annual, and sadly last, beginning of the year prank going to be?" asked a handsome young man with night dark hair and grey eyes that sparkled, causing many girls nearby to giggle uncontrollably.

"I dunno mates," replied a messy haired, bespectled young man beside him. "You know how Lily hates it when we prank."

"Ooooh, Lily hates it when we prank, " mocked the devilishly handsome Sirius Black in a girlishly high (yet strangely still adorable) voice.

Before anyone could respond, a sudden gust of wind blew through the Great Hall, and a bright orange light glowed overhead. Suddenly three teens were falling through the illusionary sky, screaming as they fell about 15 feet, before landing with a painful (and painful sounding) THUMP on the ground in the middle of the great hall.

The Marauders all looked at each other as if to say '_Did **you** do that?' _

At first the new arrivals were just a tangle of limbs and groans, as the rest of the hall fell silent. Then one of them spoke.

"Bloody hell, I feel like I've beaten repeatedly by a Bludger!"

"Hermione, are you all right?"

"Yes, Harry, I'm fine. You?" inquired a petite brunette with bushy hair.

"I think I bruised a rib, but otherwise I'm okay." Replied a messy haired, lanky young man, wincing and holding his side.

"Hey, thanks for asking me!" a red headed boy stated indignantly.

"Oh, sorry Ron, you all right mate?"

"Peachy," came the sarcastic reply.

While this conversation had been taking place, the Trio had yet to notice their surroundings, as they were currently still picking themselves up from their apparent stint at skydiving.

"Ahem," Dumbledore cleared his throat, surprised and confused by the sudden appearance of three more teenagers, but still highly amused by their choice of entrance.

The three teens turned instantly, wands drawn and wary looks on their faces. Many students were surprised and impressed at the speed of their response.

"Dumbledore?" asked the dark haired boy, barely above a whisper.

They gaped at their former headmaster in shock. Then the girl began to hyperventilate. "Oh god, we're dead aren't we?"

"Thankfully not," replied Dumbledore cheerfully, "However, I would like to inquire as to who you are and how you came to be at Hogwarts."


	2. Listen up

"Would it…" Harry's voice sounded hoarse, so he cleared his throat and began again. "Professor, would it be possible to speak to you in private?"

Dumbledore surveyed them for a moment without speaking. As a sign of good faith, Harry put away his wand, followed immediately by Ron and Hermione.

Dumbledore smiled. "Of course dear boy, of course."

With that, Dumbledore swept them out of the Great Hall and off to his office.

The door hadn't even closed completely behind them before the hall erupted in conversation. Many speculated about the three mysterious teens and their sudden appearance, but perhaps none more so than the infamous Marauders.

"Prongs – did you _see_ that kid? He looked just like you!" Sirius practically yelled, and indeed, this was one of many questions circling the Great Hall.

"Did you see how fast they reacted to Dumbledore? It was like they were ready for battle or something! I bet they're excellent duelers," Remus Lupin speculated.

"What was that crazy orange light – and they way they just appeared? Do you think that they're d-dark wizards?" trembled Peter Pettigrew.

"I really don't think so," pondered James Potter. "They looked pretty normal. Hell, they looked more surprised to be here than us! I guess we'll just have to wait until they get back to find out." He paused, and then an evil grin spread across his and the other Marauder's faces.

They clearly had the same thought…

"Or, we could grab the invisibility cloak and find out for ourselves," smirked Sirius.

With that, they tore into the feast, intent to sneak out of the hall the first chance they got, but never ones to turn down the opportunity to eat.

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The Trio currently sat in three squashy armchairs facing a man they thought they would never see again in the flesh.

"So," stated Dumbledore with that incessant twinkle in his eyes, "care to explain what is going on?"

"If I may ask first Sir, what year is it?" asked Hermione.

"1976, and today is the first day of term, September 1," replied Dumbledore.

The three teens looked at each other apprehensively.

"Well, you see sir," began Harry, "we're from the future - "

"Nearly twenty years," interrupted Ron.

"Yes – and we're not entirely sure how this happened – well it was a spell – but we didn't know time travel over such a large time period was possible like that," finished Hermione.

Dumbledore regarded them skeptically. Were they telling the truth? How would he be able to tell without inadvertently discovering something about the future that could drastically alter it?

Just then Fawkes flew in through the open window. Instead of landing on his perch, however, he circled the room once and landed on Harry's knee.

"Hello Fawkes," Harry sighed softly, stroking the beautiful phoenix.

_I suppose that answers that question._ Dumbledore smiled.

"I see you are familiar with Fawkes already. Phoenixes are not quick to trust, and yet you seem to be on good terms with him," the aging headmaster observed.

"We're old friends," smiled Harry.

Dumbledore contemplated this statement for a moment. "I think the best place to begin in this situation is at the beginning. What are your names?"

"Ron Weasley."

"Hermione Granger."

Harry looked Dumbledore straight in the eyes. "Harry Potter."

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A small food fight had erupted at the Hufflepuff table, which, luck would have it, was farthest from the Gryffindor table and the exit to the Entrance Hall (what a funny coincidence!).

While the professors were otherwise occupied, the four troublemakers escaped the Great Hall and headed for Gryffindor Tower.

"Okay, we get the cloak, head for Dumbledore's office, and see if we can find out anything," James ticked off the parts of their plan on his fingers. It was simple, but no doubt effective.

"Yeah, like where they're from," stated Peter.

"Or how they got here…" added Sirius.

"Or who they are…" interjected James.

"Or why they looked at Dumbledore like they'd seen a ghost," finished Remus.

They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Okay, what's the password?" asked Remus.

They stared at each other.

"Give me five minutes," James said, hurrying back to the Great Hall.

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"Honestly James you're Head Boy. We gave the passwords to the prefects on the train," said Lily Evans exasperatedly.

"I guess I forgot. So what is it again?"

James Potter and Lily Evans had an – unusual – relationship.

For the first five years of their Hogwarts careers Lily had despised James, constantly fending off his advances and trying to stop his more malicious pranks. Over the previous year James had matured quite a bit, toning down his mischief making and nearly eliminating his more arrogant traits. Nearly.

He had also stopped asking Lily out, a fact that was surprising to everyone. Over the course of the year they developed a tenuous truce. They weren't exactly _good_ friends, but they _were_ friends. And yet James had never stopped caring for Lily.

But she wasn't aware of that.

The two hurried through the corridors, making excellent time back to Gryffindor Tower.

"It's _felicitas_. This isn't for a prank, is it?" asked Lily suspiciously.

"Nope, just some friendly eavesdropping. Wanna come?" James replied good-naturedly.

"No, I'm pretty tired. I think I'll just hang out in the common room," Lily said with a yawn.

"**There** you are!" shouted Sirius.

"Easy Padfoot, I was just having a nice chat with Lily, as she so kindly reminded me that I already knew the password," James replied, smiling at his friends.

"Well, let's hurry or we won't learn anything about those three people!" Remus grumbled, anxious to get to some good old-fashioned snooping.

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"I take it you are the son of my current Head Boy, James Potter." Harry gave a nod so minute it was almost imperceptible, but no response was really necessary, because Dumbledore continued, "Yes, the resemblance is uncanny. How is James?"

Harry opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and then closed it with a weary look to his friends.

"Perhaps we shouldn't reveal too much about the future if we can help it, sir," Hermione supplied, seeing Harry's distress.

"Yes, of course, but I will need to at least know how you got here, so that I can – if you wish – determine how to return you to your own time," Dumbledore replied, not at all offended that they didn't answer his simple question.

Harry immediately perked up, "Well sir, if you have your pensieve available, we can show you how we got here. Perhaps there's a counter spell that will send us back to our time…"

"What a splendid idea, Harry!" replied Dumbledore jovially. With that he went to his cabinet and withdrew the familiar (to Harry anyway) stone basin, replacing it on his desk. Once Harry had placed the memory of their encounter with the mysterious man, he gestured to Dumbledore to step into the memory and, hopefully, find a way to send them home.

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When Dumbledore returned, it was to find the three extraordinary teenagers sitting on the edge of their seats, staring at him hopefully.

"To answer your first question, the spell that was cast upon you I am familiar with." Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked visibly relieved. However, Dumbledore was not finished, "That spell is rather Dark Magic, primarily because the caster can send any person or object into any time frame, for as long as they want. Obviously this could cause chaos if used lightly, and is therefore a very little known spell with no counter curse. I'm afraid you are trapped here until the spell ends, which would appear to be – from what your attacker said -- one year's time."

Hermione and Ron looked heartbroken. "One YEAR!" they both cried.

Harry simply looked resigned, as if he expected this type of thing to happen to him.

"Well, I must say that what I have just viewed has left me with more questions than answers, such as why you three feel the need to go up against Lord Voldemort." Dumbledore stated after a moment. Seeing them about to protest, he silenced them with a gesture to allow him to continue, "however, I do believe this is one of those very instances where the knowledge could change the outcome of mine and many other people's lives."

Something sparked in Harry's eyes. "Wait, if we're stuck here, we can change things." Harry turned to Hermione and Ron, looking ready to plead his case on his knees. "Nothing's happened yet, we can make everything better!"

"Harry we can't!" cried Hermione, "What if we make things worse?"

"She's right my boy, you should not try to alter your past, even to save lives," Dumbledore agreed.

"Even if it saves **yours**?" Harry bitterly snapped. Hermione gasped, and Dumbledore looked taken aback. Several of the portraits of old headmasters immediately snapped to attention, forgetting about faking sleep at the shocking news: apparently Dumbledore would die, and probably not of natural causes from the sound of it. It took several moments for Dumbledore to recover himself and quiet the murmurs of the portraits.

"Clearly your heart is in the right place, Harry, and I thank you for thinking of me as worth altering time for, in addition to whomever else you wish to save. I will ask that you do not attempt this. Time is a delicate and dangerous thing. One change that may seem insignificant to you could in turn cost hundreds or thousands of lives, or possibly even wipe you and your friends out of existence. I do not fear death; only a life not lived to the fullest. Death is merely another step in the journey of life, Harry. A fact I daresay from the look in your eyes you've experienced a great deal of."

Here he paused and allowed this to sink in to not only Harry's thoughts, but also Hermione's and Ron's thoughts as well. When a few minutes had passed, he began again. "Do not despair all hope of making your present/ our future better. Perhaps simply by being here, and interacting with others you will have a positive influence. I cannot predict what changes your presence may bring, but I believe that three such kind-hearted individuals cannot be in any one place without having a positive effect on the people they meet."

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James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all squished under the invisibility cloak. They had grown a great deal since they had begun using the cloak in first year, and were now packed in tighter than sardines. They could barely move, and walking required the coordination of a world-class ballet, but they weren't about to let that stop them.

Just as they had finished readjusting the cloak, the stone gargoyle at the entrance to Dumbledore's office jumped back, and the three mysterious teens came down and began walking to Gryffindor Tower. Dumbledore had enrolled them as students and helped them come up with a good cover story, as well as created fake surnames for all three. They were talking quietly about what they should do now that they were back at Hogwarts, the last place they expected to be (not to mention 20 years in the past).

The three teens were speaking in soft whispers, which made the snooping that much more difficult. Not to mention if one of the Marauders so much as scuffed a toe or breathed to loud, the three would instantly cease talking and look around. It was like they were in a constant state of alert. The Marauders had never seen three more paranoid people in their lives.

Hermione began talking after the last time they had stopped, and the Marauders were finally close enough to hear, "I don't know if going to search for the horcruxes is a good idea, Harry. What if Voldemort finds out and tries to stop us, or simply makes new ones after we're gone?"

The mention of the name of the feared dark wizard who was amassing a frightening amount of power had the Marauder's stopping again. She said his _name_! Most people were too afraid to do that! And what the heck were horcruxes?"

"So what do you suggest we do, sit on our bums for a year?" asked Ron loudly, beating a clearly irate Harry to the punch. The Marauders hurried to catch up again as Hermione shushed him.

"Not at all! I think we can use this time to learn new defensive skills and also useful curses. We can also practice nonverbal spells, not to mention researching where the other horcruxes might be so we have a head start on them when we get back! There's all kinds of things we can do. Like – "

"Wandless magic," Harry said, almost too quietly to be heard. When the other two stopped walking and looked at Harry amazed, the Marauders nearly toppled into them. They were so close they held their breaths hoping the anxious trio wouldn't hear them.

"When Dudley and I were attacked by those dementors, I did wandless magic. Nothing extraordinary, just _lumos_, but what if we could do it? That could really come in handy," Harry explained. Hermione took a moment to absorb this, then beamed at Harry, grabbing his arm and half-dragging him and Ron the rest of the way to Gryffindor Tower while spouting off various texts she'd read or heard of that could help them with learning the ancient and difficult skill of wandless magic.

They were moving too fast for their eavesdroppers to keep up quietly and soon the Marauders gave up the chase in favor of thinking about what they had heard. Everything about these three teens was intriguing. The more they learned, the more they wanted to know.

Who _were_ they?


	3. Meet the new guys

A/N: Thank you so much to everybody who reviewed! I'm sorry it took me a while to update, I am currently working on a number of stories (they're all caught up in my head and I have to let them out!), and with school beginning again, I'm trying to get as much writing done as I can before my life gets super busy again.

**Disclaimer: Potter-verse. Don't own it. Never have – never will. Sigh.**

Harry lay staring at his canopy above his new bed in his 'new' dorm – which happened to be his old dorm – lost in thought. Ron and Hermione were arguing about the advantages and disadvantages (strategically) of various kinds of magic that they could be learning in the coming year – such as wandless magic, weapons training, learning to become animagi, and the pros and cons of studying dark magic (not to use, just to know – Harry was adamant they refrain from using dark magic as much as possible).

Harry was half-listening, but mostly he was thinking about the fact that his parents and Sirius were _here_, they were young and innocent and _alive._ He knew their fates and yet could do nothing about it.

He couldn't even tell them who he really was.

Hermione had been watching him out of the corner of her eye. She was worried about him, but felt there was nothing she could do to help him this time. The fact was she and Ron _didn't_ understand what he was going through – not really. They could sympathize and speculate, but it wasn't _their_ parents who were in danger. Any efforts to save James, Lily and Sirius could wipe Harry out of existence – and consequently doom the world.

Hermione sighed and pulled out her trunk from her cloak pocket. Harry and Ron followed suit. The three had agreed that since they had no idea what they would need as they searched for the horcruxes; they really ought to carry everything. They took their school trunks, shrunk down and made feather light, with them everywhere. So, as luck would have it, they had just about everything they would need (including their school robes) with them, along with many more defensive books, backup wands, food rations, muggle first aid supplies, and hand held-weapons (in their spare time they had begun learning to fight with daggers and – in Harry's case – a sword).

Just as the Trio had unshrunk their trunks, the Mauraders came into the room. At first, no one spoke; they just stared at each other. Then Hermione coughed lightly, seeming to bring them back to the present.

"I'm sorry, how rude of us. I'm Remus Lupin, and these are my friends James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew," Remus said, pointing out each boy as he spoke.

Harry smiled remembering how personable Remus could be even when he wasn't feeling well. He slid off his bed and strode over to the Mauraders.

"I'm Harry Porter and these are my friends Ron Westen and Hermione Gardner." He paused, then with a mischievous glint in his eyes asked, "You're dying to know how we got here, aren't you?"

Sirius ginned widely, while James fell gracefully onto his bed, saying, "Only if you want to tell us mate."

Ron and Hermione smiled at him and sat at the foot of Harry's bed, while Harry simply leaned against the post, reviewing their cover story in his mind. "Just between us?" When the Mauraders nodded eagerly, he continued. "We're time travelers. The summer before our seventh year, we went into hiding from Voldemort (the Mauraders shivered involuntarily, then seemed angry at themselves for doing so) and his followers."

The Mauraders exchanged worried looks, but let Harry continue.

"We despise Dark Magic, and have had to fight against it and those who would be fooled by its evil and deception for a number of years now. When Voldemort found out we had discovered some of his more – unsavory – activities, he came after us." Harry looked grim thinking back on all he had learned Tom Riddle was capable of, even at an early age. "There was a raid, and somehow one of Voldemort's followers cast a spell on us, and here we are."

"So that's why you just appeared out of thin air? Are you from the future?" Remus asked quietly.

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other. Here was the heart of the lie. Ron took one look at Harry and could tell he didn't want to be the one to do it.

"No, were actually from the past. About nine years, I guess?" He looked at Harry and Hermione for confirmation; they nodded so he continued, "We were caught in some weird vortex, so when we got here we were shocked - "

"To say the least," interrupted Hermione. "We didn't think we'd ever see Hogwarts again."

The Mauraders took a while to absorb this information. The whole idea seemed completely insane – and yet just crazy enough to possibly be real. They still had some doubts and even more questions, but they kept those to themselves for the moment.

"So listen," Harry broke the silence, "Can you guys help with our cover story? Dumbledore gave us one, but we may need some help to make it believable."

Sirius piped up with a huge grin, "You've come to the right place. Covering our tracks is one of the things we Mauraders do best."

The Trio smiled at him, and the seven teenagers spent the next hour making plans and fleshing out their 'cover story' so that no one would question it.

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Now you may be wondering why the Trio told the Mauraders one lie, but told everyone else another. Here was Hermione's logic:

"They're professional troublemakers. And three of them are among the best in the year, probably in the school. We made a _very_ memorable entrance, and they aren't going to buy Dumbledore's story that we were being transferred and something went wrong with the portkey. I think if we add a mixture of the truth and a lie, we can avoid them knowing we're from the future and still satisfy their curiosity."

They knew their story wasn't airtight, but it would have to do.

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After much plotting and planning, Hermione bade the boys goodnight and levitated her trunk in front of her as she headed for the girls' dormitory. The Marauders soon asked Harry and Ron about themselves. You know, the kind of **deep**_, insightful_ questions that lifelong friendships are built on:

"Do you like to prank?"

"Have you ever snuck around Hogwarts at night?"

"Do you know any secret passages? Bet we know more than you!"

"What's your stance on Slytherins?"

"What Quidditch positions do you play?"

And, of course, the all-important: "Fancy a midnight snack?"

It just so happened that all 6 of the "growing" boys were feeling peckish. James wasn't terribly inclined to reveal his invisibility cloak until Harry produced his own, and the teens split into groups, with Harry, Ron and Remus under one cloak and James, Sirius and Peter under another. Utilizing this much more comfortable arrangement, the six easily made it to the kitchens for a very filling meal.

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The next day, Lily awoke to find one of the mysterious new students in her dormitory, sitting upon her bed reading.

"Oh, hello," said Lily politely.

Hermione looked up at her and smiled. "Good Morning. I was just getting in some light reading before class starts. I'm afraid me and my friends don't have our books for our new classes and will have to order them today."

Lily was puzzled, and so asked, "I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"

"Oh!" Hermione blushed, "I'm sorry. Hermione Gra – er – Gardener. My friends and I transferred here last night."

Lily took Hermione's offered hand and shook it. "Yes, I think everyone noticed the very moment you 'transferred' here. My name's Lily, by the way. Lily Evans."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly, but she managed to mostly keep her shock in check. This was Harry's mother!

The two unsurprisingly immediately hit it off, discussing everything from classes and the importance of the prefect system, to Hermione and her friends' story and dealing with being muggleborns in a magical world, to who to know and who to avoid at Hogwarts, and finally to the all important girl topic: boys.

"So Hermione, do you have a boyfriend right now?"

Hermione turned bright red. "No, not at the moment."

"Ah!" Exclaimed Lily, "There _is_ someone you fancy though, isn't there?"

"Oh, no!" Hermione rushed to explain, "I just got out of a – well, it wasn't exactly a relationship – but anyway, I hadn't even begun to think of turning my fancy to anyone new yet. Besides, my boys need my attention all the time – they can hardly do without me!"

Lily and Hermione continued to laugh at the dependency of men on the gracious wisdom of women all the way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

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The Marauders had managed to drag themselves out of bed in time for breakfast that morning, primarily owing to the fact that they still needed to come up with a good prank to start the year off right. They laughed and joked with Harry and Ron on the way to the Great Hall, already liking the two new boys immensely.

What they hadn't anticipated was the massive amount of attention they would attract upon entering the room. Hermione and Lily had drawn their fair share, but it was nothing compared to this. It seemed that everyone wanted to know who these intriguing new students were, especially considering that (a) they were completely unknown to everyone, (b) one of them looked almost identical to James Potter, and (c) they were all quite good looking.

The last of these factors had over half the female population at Hogwarts squealing in delight. There was of course, one exception.

When Lily spied the two new boys, one of whom looked so much like Potter, laughing and joking with the Marauders, she almost immediately assumed that they were like the infamous quartet. Her first instinct was to make sure they didn't start trouble, and possibly tell them off if they were arrogant, but she reined it in; the events of the previous year had brought a definite change about in her attitude both towards the Marauders and life in general **(A/N see my story 'Walk A Mile' ((WIP)) for details)**. She had loosened up quite a bit – though not totally.

The six young men quickly made for the Gryffindor table, all quite used to the attention (though for very different reasons) but still not wanting such a direct spotlight on them. Unfortunately, such interest prohibited further plans for the prank, or they would be overheard. So they settled for filling up on breakfast, or in Ron's case, attempting once again to fill the black hole otherwise known as his stomach.

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After breakfast the new friends were conversing when Professor McGonagall turned up to pass out the new schedules to the students. She asked Harry, Ron, and Hermione to wait until last so that she could discuss their career plans and their O.W.L. results. While they were waiting, Lily took the opportunity to observe the three friends.

She couldn't help but notice how much – well – **older **they seemed from everyone else. Not age-wise, but like they had seen a great deal in their lives, and probably had the scars to prove it. She realized her initial assessment had been a little off about them: while they seemed open to having fun and laughed and joked along with everyone else, they were clearly much more serious individuals, and all in all, she thought they would be good friends, if possibly a bit distant.

She also noticed the amount of attention they drew. And it clearly wasn't because of their sudden appearance the night before. Lily didn't think she'd ever seen so many people come up to the Gryffindor table. It seemed everyone in the school (apart from the Slytherins) came to visit a friend in Gryffindor, just to get a chance to see the handsome new young men and pretty young woman up close. Hermione blushed a great deal, apparently not accustomed to this kind of attention, and Ron had looked menacingly at a few of the boys ogling her, but there didn't seem to be any real mean-spiritedness in it. From the continual laughs of Harry and Hermione whenever Ron did this, it seemed more a habit then anything else.

When they finally all got their schedules, there were only a few minutes left to get to class, which was Charms for all of them, it seemed. They were ambling along, none too concerned since the classroom wasn't far, when someone bumped Harry (who was happily talking with Sirius) on the shoulder roughly. Harry turned and frowned at the assailant, only to come face to face with the very bane of his existence (other than Voldemort) – none other than a young, irate Severus Snape.

"Watch where you are going, Potter. You and your idiot cronies don't own the corridors you know," Snape snapped.

A murderous look took over Harry's features, and he whipped out his wand, looking like he was planning to hex Snape into oblivion. Hermione had gasped when she saw Snape, but immediately stepped between them and spoke to Harry in quick, low tones. While he was thus distracted, Sirius and James leered at Snape, drawing his focus away from Harry.

Snape's own Slytherin crowd immediately came up, and wands were drawn all around, except by Hermione who still had her back to the scene, seeming to try and talk Harry, who was still glaring at the Slytherins with a fiery hatred in his eyes, out of whatever he was planning to do.

It was only the presence of Professor Flitwick, who had come out of his classroom looking for his wayward students, which kept a full out duel from breaking out. The tiny professor's call seemed to bring Harry out of his hateful mood, but he was still clearly distressed. He wrenched away from Hermione's grasp and stormed into the Charms room, glaring slightly at his desktop and not speaking to anyone.

Hermione and Ron immediately sat on either side of Harry and tried to draw him out of his bad mood, until he said lowly, "I don't want to talk about it right now guys. We'll talk later, I promise."

Hermione and Ron dropped it, but their new friends were not so quick to understand. Sure, they thought, the Slytherins were all evil gits, but Harry looked ready to _murder_ Snape. They all had the same thought in tandem:

What the hell was that about?


	4. What they haven't done

**A/N: Hey everyone. I am sorry for the delay. As a full time college student, I can only work on my stories in my spare time. And as an art student, there ain't a whole lot of spare time to go around. I do try to hand write out new chapters where I can (traveling to and from school, in the five minutes before class starts, etc.) but that takes time and typing them up takes more. Unfortunately there will probably be more delays in updates as the semester progresses, but I will try to do better in the future.**

**Disclaimer: If I did own this amazing world, my name would be J.K. Rowling. I would also live in a posh house in the U.K. and have millions around the world reading my work. Alas, I am not, so I don't.**

_Well – today was an interesting day._

That's the thought that kept circling through Harry's mind as he sat in the Room of Requirement. Earlier that day he had not only nearly blown their cover, but also had come within a breath of killing several people and getting hauled off to Azkaban.

Perhaps an explanation is in order…

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The run-in with Snape before Charms had only been the beginning. While Ron and Hermione had attempted to calm Harry down, Dumbledore's death kept playing through Harry's mind…

"_Severus…"_

"_Severus…please…"_

_Snape raised his wand and aimed at Dumbledore's heart, "Avada Kedavra!"_

The speeding green light of death took less than a second to reach Dumbledore, and Harry's beloved Headmaster was blasted off the Astronomy Tower, falling down down down to the grounds below.

It was a moment that would haunt Harry for the rest of his life. Dumbledore's killer was somewhere out on the Hogwarts' grounds or in the castle _right now_, creating the life that would lead to that terrible moment. And there was nothing Harry could do about it.

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At lunchtime, Harry unfortunately encountered Bellatrix and Narcissa Black. The two were having a lovely (and somewhat loud) discussion about Regalus, the new Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black (since Sirius' defection), and how easily he would be bent to their will.

"It will really be up to us to maintain the standing of the House of Black, sister, even though it may only be through proper marriages – as Andromeda was unable to do," Narcissa began.

"Unable? That is putting it mildly, Cissa. Andromeda is no Black now. She ran off with that filthy mudblood, and as far as I am concerned she is no sister of mine. Besides, a good marriage isn't the only way to maintain our family honor. We have to keep an eye out for Regalus. Bring him under our wings. We cannot allow his _blood-traitor brother,_" here Bellatrix looked pointedly at Sirius, who was in hearing range, "to unduly influence him and turn him away from our values. Remember, Toujours Pur."

"Regalus is weak, Bella. Lucius has already elicited a promise from the boy to join the Dark Lord – he was quite eager in fact. I believe he wishes to prove his worth, or perhaps establish a strong leadership role, now that Sirius is gone. Despite the fact that our cousin is a blood-traitor, there is no denying he is strong, both in power and in presence. Sirius always captured his audience, either in love or hate, while Regalus could barely register indifference with anyone other than his parents. The boy knows this. Perhaps he believes the Dark Lord will bring him prestige."

"And so he shall, sister," Bellatrix replied coolly, "and when He eliminates our disgusting cousin, the path will be clear for Regalus to stand tall as the Head of the Black Family. Although…it would be even more delicious if He allows _us _to kill darling Sirius ourselves…"

It took all of Harry's self-control to avoid outright annihilating Sirius' cousins. When he expressed a desire to do so to his best friends, Sirius overheard and offered to help. Surprisingly, this had made Harry feel better. He and his future godfather spent all of lunch and Care of Magical Creatures plotting a suitable Slytherin-wide prank. Sirius didn't know what he had done to deserve such loyalty and faithfulness from Harry, but he couldn't deny he appreciated it. The more he got to know this Harry kid, the more he liked, despite (or perhaps because of) the many mysteries surrounding him.

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In Potions, which proved to be just as difficult as always even with the jolly (and only slightly repugnant) Slughorn teaching, Harry, to his extreme displeasure, ended up working at a station very near Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy. The two Slytherins spent the class alternately criticizing Harry's potion making skills and having a thinly veiled conversation about the advantages of serving Voldemort.

Harry was gritting his teeth and trying to ignore his instincts to simply eliminate the two slimy gits and save the world a lot of pain. Hermione and Ron of course heard all this too, and kept a running mantra of "Ignore them" in Harry's other ear.

The Slytherins managed to provide enough of a distraction to cause Harry to produce a catastrophically bad potion. Hermione and Sirius offered to tutor Harry in order to ensure he showed up the foul Slytherins, and the thought of bringing them down a notch was enough to carry him through the rest of the class.

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At the afternoon break, the Trio and the Marauders ran into a group of visitors from the Ministry: Cornelius Fudge from Magical Catastrophes, Dolores Umbridge from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and Amelia Bones and Rufus Scrimgeour from Magical Law Enforcement. Apparently Voldemort had used vampires in a recent large-scale attack on a Muggle town near Yorkshire, and the group had come to speak with Dumbledore. The group was accompanied by two 'well-respected' members of the Wizarding community (and suspected Death Eaters), Sebastian Malfoy and Perseus Black. The two men had come to Hogwarts to conclude negotiations for the marriage contract for Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black – widely considered the greatest match of the decade. That is, of course, unless Sirius Black or James Potter decided to marry well.

Sirius, to say the least, was 'unhappy' to see his uncle (especially after listening to the man's daughters bash him and his brother), and the feeling was reciprocated. Biting comments were exchanged on both sides. You know – a typical Black Family reunion.

But when Perseus Black whipped out his wand (when no one was looking) and blasted Sirius across the corridor, Harry had his wand to the man's throat before anyone could blink. Naturally the Ministry officials had been alarmed, and had threatened Harry with criminal charges if he attempted to hex Mr. Black. It was only the arrival and calming words of Professor Dumbledore that caused Harry to back down.

Luckily everyone made it out of there in one piece, although the air had practically crackled with the building magical energy within Harry. The Gryffindors hurried to help Sirius up again and head off to their common rooms before dinner.

When Mr. Malfoy tried to discretely hex Harry when his back was turned, no one could say anything against the young man when he threw up a shield charm to deflect it that was so powerful the hair on the Marauders' necks stood up a bit. Harry did get a bit of grim satisfaction when Mr. Malfoy's face broke out in horrible boils from the backfired curse.

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The Marauders had realized that Harry despised the Slytherins as much, if not **more** than they did. They could also tell he was very much on edge, but they didn't know why. They hoped that keeping a cheerful mood during dinner would help bring him out of his funk. But when Peter made the mistake of jokingly calling Remus and James 'traitors to the Marauders' for becoming authority figures (a prefect and Head Boy, respectively), Harry nearly lost it.

It wasn't so much an obvious thing when it happened. Rather subtle actually. If you – you know -- call the rattling of all the plates and goblets and the cracking of several windows in the Great Hall subtle. But Harry, unlike everyone else in the Great Hall, merely sat staring at his plate; clutching his silverware so tightly his knuckles were white.

"Harry!" Ron and Hermione cried. Unfortunately this tactic, while bringing Harry out of his rage filled stupor and ending the chaos, brought much unwanted attention to the source of the magical disturbance. When Hermione and Ron hurriedly whispered to Harry and the three left the Great Hall, a new chorus of speculation followed in their wake.

The students, and even many of the professors, began to wonder even more about the Trio, especially Harry. Many had never seen such a display of power – and Harry had only been sitting there, not even casting a spell!

"It's like the more layers we pull away, the more layers we find hidden underneath," Remus said.

"Yes, they're quite the enigma," Peter agreed.

The other three Marauders turned to stare at him.

And stared.

And stared some more as they tried to figure out (1) how Peter knew the word 'enigma' and (2) how he had used it correctly in a sentence.

For many minutes they were stumped, until Peter, tired of all the staring, said, "My mum gave me a word-a-day calendar for the new school term."

"Ooooh."

Meanwhile, in the Room of Requirement…

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"Look Harry I know this is hard to deal with – "

"That may be the understatement of the year, Hermione," Harry interrupted her.

"Mate, just listen to what she has to say," Ron pleaded. Harry's increasingly bad mood was leading to destructive behavior that could get them killed or wiped from existence. This situation was hard on all of them, but they knew none more so than Harry.

"You told me Dumbledore once told you that indifference and neglect can do more harm than outright dislike," Hermione began. "We can turn our backs on these people, or we can open our minds, and perhaps in time, our hearts, to them and guide them back to the Light. Dumbledore said we can't outright tell them of the future to change it, but he said nothing of doing everything in our power to ensure that things go our way after we are gone."

Harry opened his mouth to protest this, but was interrupted by Hermione continuing.

"We can make things right, Harry. I know we can. All we need is patience and understanding, and a little new knowledge couldn't hurt either. The only way we can make sure that happens though is if you let go of your anger and hurt. I don't say forgive, because I think that may be asking too much.

"Harry, I know you want revenge for what those future Death Eaters will do. No one can blame you for that. But just remember that they _haven't done **anything** yet._ The key word here is YET. We have a chance to stop them – to influence their choices, for the better or worse."

After Hermione had her say, she and Ron left Harry in the Room of Requirement to think about it. Harry stared into the undying fire in the fake Gryffindor Common Room the room had provided. He knew Hermione was right – and a little wrong. There were some things he could not allow to change, no matter how much he wanted them to.

James and Lily would have to die trying to save him, or else who would defeat Voldemort and become the Boy-Who-Lived? _Neville?_ Even if by some miracle poor Neville survived a direct attack from Voldemort, Harry wasn't sure the boy would handle being old Voldie's enemy Number One very well.

No, it was Harry Potter's destiny to face Voldemort, and he had accepted it. But maybe he could stop Peter from betraying his friends, and prolong the Potters' lives a bit, or prevent Snape from revealing the prophesy to Voldemort in the first place. He could definitely keep Sirius out of Azkaban and the hell away from that hated veil in the Department of Mysteries. If only there was a way to save his parents though. _Unless…_

_That's it!_

Harry leapt up from the sofa and rushed out of the door of the Room of Requirement, racing along the corridors to Gryffindor Tower, not caring if he was caught out-of-bounds after hours.

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Harry rushed into the common room panting slightly, "Hermione, I've just had a brilliant –"

But Harry was cut off from telling his friends his idea by the imposing presence of Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Porter, I was just telling Mr. Westen and Ms. Gardner, the Headmaster wishes to speak with you three immediately."

The Trio looked at each other in confusion, all thinking,_ "What happened this time?"_

But McGonagall had already exited the portrait hole, clearly expecting them to follow. They did so without hesitation, and soon found themselves being led not to the Headmaster's Office, but to the Hospital Wing.

"Professor, what's going on?" Hermione timidly questioned.

"That, Ms. Garner, is what the Headmaster is hoping you will tell him," was the Transfiguration professor's curt reply.

Now their interest was really peaked, and the Trio entered the Hospital Wing to the shock of a lifetime:

Lying on one of the crisp white beds, covered in bandages, but still sporting several visible cuts and bruises, was none other than Draco Malfoy.


	5. Just trust me

**A/N: Hello again. (Looks sheepish) I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. I have not abandoned this story, I have just been busy with school, work, family, etc. and some other obligations. But here is the much awaited chapter, including the reason Draco Malfoy is there (which was as much a surprise to me as it was to you – he just barged in and demanded to be in the story!). Also – no, I am not going to tell you yet how Harry is going to save his parents because I am evil like that. But fear not, it is a good and (hopefully) not overly elaborate plan. On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing that you recognize from the Harry Potter books is mine, most especially the quotes from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (written in italics) at the beginning of the chapter.**

Thoughts and images swirled through Harry's mind at the sight of Draco Malfoy lying in the Hospital Wing bed, bloody and broken, staring horrified into the sad eyes of Albus Dumbledore. And though Harry was no Legilimens, he knew exactly what the blonde Slytherin was thinking:

"…_I came on ahead. I – I've got a job to do."_

"…_Draco, Draco, you are not a killer."_

"_How do you know?"_

…

"_My dear boy, let us have no more pretense about that. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it when you first disarmed me, you would not have stopped for this pleasant chat about ways and means."_

"_I haven't got any options! I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill my whole family!"_

…

"_I did not dare speak to you of the mission with which I knew you had been entrusted, in case he used Legilimency against you. But now at last we can speak plainly to each other…No harm has been done, you have hurt nobody, though you are very lucky that your unintentional victims survived…I can help you, Draco…. Come over to the right side, Draco… you are not a killer…."_

"_But I got this far, didn't I? They thought I'd die in the attempt, but I'm here… and you're in my power… I'm the one with the wand…. You're at my mercy…" _

"_No, Draco. It is my mercy, and not yours, that matters now."_

(A/N: excerpts from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ch. 27 "The Lightening-Struck Tower", p. 585-592)

And with those memories foremost in Malfoy's mind, no doubt Dumbledore knew what the blonde was thinking as well.

"MALFOY!" Ron, who had overcome his surprise and decided to jump full speed into rage, lunged at the traitorous former Slytherin, breaking the silence.

"_Petrificus Totalus,"_ Harry cried, freezing Ron in mid-stride, causing him to crash to the floor.

"Harry!" Hermione cried, scandalized that Harry had hexed Ron. She ran to the redhead's side and freed him. Ron looked up at Harry from the floor in shock and betrayal.

"I take it, Mr. Potter, that you know this young man," Dumbledore said, the normal twinkle returning to his eyes, as he apparently set the memory of his own death that he had pulled from Malfoy's mind aside for now.

"I couldn't let you attack Malfoy, Ron. I know what he did in the past, and I know what happened that night. I was there." Malfoy looked shocked, and Harry turned to look him in the eyes, "He was going to turn back to the Light – I know it. If the other Death Eaters hadn't come when they did, no doubt the events of that night would have changed."

Harry turned back to Dumbledore. "Professor, this is Draco Malfoy. He's the son of Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black. I don't know how he got here or why, but I know he has made some mistakes that he would undo if he could. Perhaps this is his chance."

"Potter? How – when – what the bloody hell is going on?"

Harry regarded him sternly, considered his options, and plowed ahead. "Malfoy, you are in 1976. You were sent back in time – I want to know how."

Malfoy seemed to take a moment to decide whether to answer or just give Harry his customary sneer and snide remark. Given the situation, the Slytherin choose the former. "After - that night - I was brought before the Dark Lord again. Severus had told me not to go, but I didn't know what else to do. The Dark Lord was so angry, despite the fact that his mission was accomplished. He _Crucio_'d me a few times, then He made me watch as He -" he paused and took several breaths, staring down at the crisp white hospital linens, "He tortured and killed my mother. I had done all of it for her, and He got what he wanted in the end, and he killed her anyway!" Malfoy cried, clearly trying to hold back tears.

Hermione gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. Ron was apparently stunned out of his anger again. Dumbledore looked upon Malfoy in sadness and pity, but Harry only looked resigned, as if he had expected this outcome.

"You knew He would kill her, didn't you?" Malfoy asked Harry, without any of his usual malice, only sadness and curiosity.

Harry stared at him, saying nothing. Malfoy nodded his head in acceptance, knowing that there had been no escaping that fate for Narcissa Malfoy, no matter what her son had or hadn't done for Voldemort.

She was dead the moment Lucius was captured. Perhaps she was dead the moment she had married the man. It was all in the unchangeable past. If she didn't marry the man, Draco would not have been born, and Lucius Malfoy was too far gone, even now, to turn his back on Voldemort's promise of power.

Harry gave him a moment to collect himself, and then pressed on. "How did you escape, Malfoy? How did you end up here?"

"It was Snape. I was being held in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor. It's Unplottable and has many new wards and enchantments – the Ministry will never find it. The Dark Lord claimed possession of our lands and holdings as soon as my mother was dead. He said if my father objected he could come and claim them back. Then He laughed – He LAUGHED – like my father hadn't been loyal to Him even to that day, rotting away in Azkaban."

Malfoy shook his head, trying to get back on track. "They beat and tortured me a while, then late one night, I don't know how long I'd been there, Snape came to me and helped me escape. There was another man under a hood with him, I didn't know who he was at the time, but they acted like they were taking me out for 'special treatment' – I don't know what that meant, but the other Death Eaters seemed to know. They thought it was funny – how the mighty Malfoy heir had been brought low for his mistake. They didn't even question Snape.

"As soon as we were out of the Anti-Apparition wards, Snape allowed himself to be beaten and stunned. We had to make it look like he was overpowered by the other man, or the Dark Lord would be after him too. That's when we Disapparated to some old house by the sea, I don't know where we were. He treated my most immediate injuries, and gave me some potions to give me some strength for the trip. The man told me he had a plan to keep me safe, or at least as safe as I could be. He was sending me away where no one would know me. Clearly that was a lie, as here you are, Potter. At any rate, he told me how to cover the Dark Mark, and what to do if I was called. He then said to – oh Merlin, now I understand, I didn't at the time. He said I should start again, from the beginning, to make the future right, and to say hi to my new friends from him. He said he was my cousin –"

"Regalus Black," Harry said quietly, at the same time Malfoy did.

"Yes," Malfoy confirmed in a whisper. "So what happens now?"

Dumbledore, Hermione, and Ron seemed to have decided, along with Malfoy, that the decision rested with Harry. The Boy-Who-Lived thought long and hard about his options. He knew what Dumbledore had wanted to do for Malfoy, that night in the Astronomy Tower. He knew how he had always felt about Malfoy, just as he knew that the boy had changed. Maybe not completely, and maybe they would never get along. But you have to start somewhere…

Harry stuck out his hand. "Harry Potter."

Malfoy looked at him in shock. Regalus' words coming back to him again, and the memory of his own anger and humiliation at being slighted by Potter in first year. His mind made up, he took Harry's hand in his and shook it. "Draco Malfoy."

Hermione and Ron were stunned. They seemed torn between admiration at Harry for his innate nobility and capacity to forgive, and anger at befriending (or even attempting to) the boy who had tried to make their lives miserable for six years, and had helped bring about Dumbledore's death. Hermione was ready to follow Harry's lead on this, however. Despite the trap he had fallen into at the Department of Mysteries, she trusted Harry's instincts implicitly, especially after he had been right about everything last year. Ron seemed to feel the same way, and they both approached the bed (although Ron did so bit more grudgingly).

"Draco, these are my friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley." They all nodded in acknowledgment of each other. "I hope you realize that I and my friends give the same amount of respect we receive." Harry knew he needn't spell it out for his former nemesis – no more names, taunting, or hexing allowed.

On either side.

With matters between the ex-rivals apparently sorted, Dumbledore declared that Draco would simply have to join them and complete his seventh year in the past. When asked what house he was in, Harry cut across his new – well, not quite - friend. "Gryffindor. Draco will be in Gryffindor with us."

Draco sputtered and looked scandalized at the very idea, but Dumbledore merely twinkled and told them he would make the arrangements while they sorted Draco's cover story. With that he strolled out of the Hospital Wing, humming quietly what sounded suspiciously like "Waterloo" by ABBA.

"What they hell, Potter? Do you honestly expect me to be a **Gryffindor**?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to, Draco. There are too many future Death Eaters in Slytherin in this time. One slip up and you could find yourself before Voldemort again. We can't allow him to learn about the future. Not him or ANY of them."

He looked meaningfully at the blonde, and Draco realized he couldn't stop his parents from becoming Voldemort's followers. Any major changes like that could have disastrous consequences, cost him even his own life. Harry was right – they were walking on dangerous ground while in the past. He'd simply have to suck it up and be – he shuddered – a _Gryffindor_.

"All right, _Harry,_ but don't ask me to like it, or suddenly start spouting stupid Gryff ideals like bravery and kind-heartedness."

Harry smirked, startling the newest Lion at the similarity to his own favorite expression, "Trust me, Draco. The thought never crossed my mind."

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Two hours later, after many explanations, arguments and negotiations, and the completion of his treatment from Madame Pomfrey, the Trio led the newly christened Draco Bonnefoi to Gryffindor Tower. It would certainly be interesting to see how well the Snake survived in the Lion's Den.

They reminded him that he would have to keep his expressions of distaste for the décor and the occupants of Gryffindor Tower to himself, or risk making a great deal of enemies quickly, and likely waking to find his hair turned into purple fur and his skin covered in bright pink polka dots. Gryffs are always the best pranksters, and he would do well to remember it.

Harry also pulled him aside and made it clear that if Draco insulted (unprovoked) his father, godfather, or Remus in any way, he would find himself at the business end of Harry's wand again. And while the Golden Boy wasn't the greatest prankster, he knew a wide variety of very creative and long lasting jinxes and hexes that would bring the point across to Draco. He told him he could do what he wanted to Pettigrew, but the other Marauders might not like that.

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As soon as they were safely tucked away in the dorms, with all the Marauders off getting butterbeer from the kitchens, Harry told Draco that he would give him Gryffindor lessons if he couldn't figure it out on his own by the end of the next day. They couldn't afford major slip-ups. It would be tricky enough to explain his presence without arousing more suspicions.

Draco figured his best bet, loath though he was to admit it, was to follow Harry and the Weasel's (_Gah! – can't call him that now – all right **Ron'**s)_ lead. He would need all of his Slytherin cunning to pull off being a Gryffindor.

Thankfully, Draco actually did not look as much like his father as many people thought. He was a good mixture of both his parents, and hopefully his unique hair – which wasn't so unique given that both his parents had such light hair and were still at Hogwarts – wouldn't cause him to stand out too much.

Now, to just keep the most notorious pranksters in the known history of Hogwarts from discovering who he **really** was.

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Meanwhile, the Marauders were having discussions of their own.

They thought back to the scene they had witnessed before they came to the kitchens:

_Harry, Ron and Hermione had been sitting in the common room for a little under twenty minutes. Harry was getting his arse handed to him in chess by Ron while Hermione watched. The Marauders were watching the game off and on, but mostly doing their own thing – Moony was reading, Padfoot and Prongs were quietly discussing a new section they had previously explored and would add to the Map, and Wormtail was asleep, drool forming a long line from his mouth to the floor. _

_McGonagall came in with a blonde boy, who seemed to look very out of place and nervous. She called for attention, and when the Mystery Trio – as the Marauders had taken to calling them – looked up, they all cried "Draco!" The blonde looked shocked to see them there, and the four teens immediately started talking to each other in low tones, while McGonagall announced that Draco Bonnefoi was a new transfer student seventh year, and had been sorted into Gryffindor. _

_After she left, the Trio introduced this new guy, who many girls began to drool over, and each of the Marauders took in as much as they could. _

"_Oi, Harry! Who's that?" Came the shout from one Sirius Black._

_Harry grinned, "Sirius, this is an old friend of mine, Draco Bonnefoi. Draco, these are our new friends, Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew – the Marauders."_

_Draco was stunned stupid for a moment_. 'The infamous Azkaban escapee, and Harry's future Godfather! He looks so completely different from the wanted posters – I don't even recognize him! How did this carefree looking teen become the crafty and uncatchable animagus that defied the Ministry and the Dark Lord at the same time? And what about Harry's father – it's like looking into a mirror! And our future professor – he looks so different!'

_A sharp elbow in his side brought him back to his senses. "It's nice to meet you. Harry's was just telling me about his new friends."_

"_Oh?" Sirius asked with blatant curiosity, "Are you from Harry's old school?"_

_Draco had already been filled in on the Trio's cover stories, and slipped into his role easily. "Yes. When they transferred here and I heard from others what a great place Hogwarts is, I begged my family to send me here as well."_

_James grinned. "Have you known Harry, Ron and Hermione long? Got any juicy gossip or embarrassing stories you can share?"_

"_Oh, yes!" Draco smirked evilly and Harry glared half-heartedly at him. He really was taking to Gryffindor quite easily. "Harry and I weren't always friends. We have a tendency to be very competitive, and we don't always see eye to eye. But we had reached a bit of an understanding just before he and his friends came here. Hopefully we can build on that now that I've also transferred to Hogwarts."_

_Harry snorted. "Perhaps we can Draco. And if you can keep your embarrassing stories about us to yourself, I can keep my stories about you to myself as well." With that said, Harry started up the stairs to the boys' dorm, letting out a cough that sounded quite a bit like **'Moody!'**_

_Draco paled, then quickly excused himself and followed Harry upstairs._

_They then decided a meeting was in order before they talked to Harry and Ron and – Draco – about what was going on, and volunteered to go on a kitchen run while he 'settled in.'_

Once they had the butterbeers and food, they sat around the end of a long table to pow-wow.

"So, what do you think of this Draco fellow?" James began.

"He has the Black eyes," Peter noted right away.

"What?"

"The Black family, they're well known for having that shade of grey eyes. Like Padfoot's."

The other two turned to stare at Sirius for a long time, until he began to turn red and squirm uncomfortably. "Let's just agree he has grey eyes like mine, yeah?"

They all nodded and he continued, "I'll say this – they way he talks screams Pureblood. I've heard that drawl too many times in my life."

James turned to Remus. "Moony? What do you got?"

"Well, I could overhear part of their conversation before they introduced him to us. They were pretty shocked, and were asking him why he was there, and what had happened after they left, and stuff like that. Also, I could smell some salves and balms like the ones Pomfrey likes to use on my scratches and bruises. I think he was just released from the Hospital Wing."

"Hmmm," James pondered. "I was looking for them earlier, and someone said McG had called them away to meet with Dumbledore. Do you think Draco had anything to do with that? And if so, why did they seem so shocked to see him?"

"Prongs is right – they have yet another mystery to them with this 'Draco' character around. I'll keep my nose to the ground, but I have a feeling that most of that scene in the common room was an act. They want everyone to think they didn't know he was here. And if he knows them, and was sent here the same way they were, why didn't he come yesterday?" Sirius commented, lamenting the fact that they seemed to still have more questions than answers when it came to the time travelers.

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**A/N:** Bonnefoi: so that's a play on words. Malfoy roughly means "bad faith" and Bonnefoi is a corrupted version of "good faith." Because Draco is going to try to be a better man, or at least not be evil, and so they must have a little faith in him. I really liked that so I put it in here, but I'll be honest, I originally heard the name from another story: a Harry/Draco called "A Malfoy is Always Welcome" by Faire Weather. I just wanted to give credit where credit is due.


End file.
